The Carpow Logboat included in 25 Objects That Shaped Scotland’s History

The Carpow Logboat joins 25 objects that shaped Scotland’s history

From a Roman distance slab to a medieval football, Antarctic goggles to a dancing fiddle – VisitScotland has today (20 July) revealed the top 25 objects that have shaped Scotland’s history in a stunning new e-book.

The list has been unveiled on International Chess Day (20 July) as a special nod to the most famous chess pieces in history – the Lewis Chessmen – who feature at number 9 on the date ordered list.

Compiled by an expert panel for the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, the 25 objects cover over 5000 years of Scottish history and the length and breadth of the country from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway.

The objects were chosen based on chronological and geographic spread alongside their individual interesting stories. The final 25 were chosen by a panel that included representatives from Historic Environment Scotland, National Museums of Scotland, Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and VisitScotland.

VisitScotland hopes that visitors will go on a trail this summer to discover as many of the objects as possible and in turn discover more about Scotland’s fascinating past.

The oldest object in the list is a barbed harpoon point (originally found in the Macarthur Cave, Oban) that dates back to the Middle Stone Age, and is one of the earliest instruments used to hunt and fish in Scotland.

The most modern in the list is Dolly the Sheep – the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell – who is currently housed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh and celebrated her 20th anniversary in 2016.

More unusual objects on the list include the Orkney Venus – the earliest known depiction of the female human form – which dates from the Neolithic period and was uncovered at the Links of Noltland on the Orkney island of Westray in 2009.

A violin which ignited Robert Burns’ rebellious streak, revealing more about the great Bard’s personality is another object that makes the final cut. The Gregg Violin was owned by Burns’ dance teacher, William Gregg. In around 1779, Robert Burns started taking dancing lessons and wrote that he hoped these new skills would ‘give my manners a brush’, but it was most likely an act of rebellion because his father did not approve of such seemingly sinful behaviour.

The Carpow Logboat

A major project led by the Trust over 10 years, to excavate, recover, conserve and display a 3,000 year old log-boat from the Tay estuary. The results, presented in an award-winning monograph, led to the innovative Loch Tay logboat experiment.

In 2006 the Trust excavated and recovered a unique Late Bronze Age logboat from the Tay estuary near Perth. From discovery of the boat in 2001, the project took over 10 years to complete and resulted in two major publications and exhibition of the vessel in Perth Museum and Art Gallery. The Trust led a partnership including CFA Archaeology Ltd, local marine engineering firm Moorings and Marine Services, and both the National Museums of Scotland and Perth Museum and Art Gallery.

Excavation and recovery of the 9m waterlogged boat from the inter-tidal zone of the mighty Tay was logistically challenging and conservation and study of the vessel at the National Museums of Scotland identified fixtures and fittings, damage, wear, and even tool-marks from socketted axes and moss caulking used to make a boat water-tight.

Dating to around 1000 BC, Carpow is one of the best preserved prehistoric log-boats from Britain, the second oldest boat known from Scotland. To find out more, read one of our award-winning publications on the boat, which use extensive illustrations to tell the story of the discovery, excavation, conservation, but also how this remarkable find has contributed to our understanding of Bronze Age life in Scotland.

Recent Posts

Glasgow Warriors have announced that they will play English Premiership giants Harlequins in Perth ahead of the 2018/19 season.
‘The Famous Grouse Pre-Season Challenge’, in association with Perth & Kinross Council, will be held at Perthshire RFC’s North Inch ground on Saturday 18 August (kick-off 2pm).
The game will take place two weeks before the new Guinness PRO14 season gets underway.
A 5,000-capacity arena will be constructed close to the city centre and the event is being sponsored by The Famous Grouse. Read more →

'In Spring of last year, wearing inappropriate footwear and driving a dinky wee car that is quite frankly not cut out for these muddy roads, Perth Theatre Artistic director Lu Kemp and playwright Kieran Hurley set off around rural Perthshire to speak with people who live in this land, about rural life.' Read more →

If you're coming along to Perth's Biggest Weekend this May, you are going to have to start thinking about your travel plans. If you need some advice on travelling into Perth, make sure you have a look at our travel tips here. To get to the Biggest Weekend from Perth City Centre you have a couple of options. Here you can find out more about the Shuttle Bus and Parking Tickets specially organised for the Biggest Weekend! Read more →

Whether you live in the area or are just visiting beautiful Perth and Kinross, you’re encouraged to help support the Give Your Glass for Cornhill campaign by recycling any empty glass bottles and jars at the 100+ Recycling Points and 9 Recycling Centres. Read more →

If you’ve ever been on an African safari, you’ll have heard of the Big 5 – the animals you just have to see. Well, not wanting to be outdone, we have our own Perthshire “Big 5” (and the rest)! Here’s a list of the wildlife you have to see, and how to do it. Don’t miss the news, below, of when the next osprey chicks will be hatching at Loch of the Lowes! Read more →